


untitled

by ghost_lingering



Category: Oxford Time Travel universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-24
Updated: 2010-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-14 02:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/144234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_lingering/pseuds/ghost_lingering





	untitled

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dira Sudis (dsudis)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsudis/gifts).



It was a few days after mum and dad signed the papers—the ones that proudly said they were her parents and that her name was Eileen—that she and Alf were sitting on the curb and talking about the new baby-to-come and Alf's ambitions to go into law that Alf said, "Do you think that Eileen is actually her real name?"

Binnie—no, _Eileen_ now—froze then shook herself. "Of course," she said, "Don't be a dunderhead." She stood and smoothed her skirt and headed back up the steps, thankful Alf didn't follow her.

She found mum in the kitchen, making a cake—one with real sugar and eggs and frosting and chocolate—as a celebration for the baby-to-come and for Bin—no, _Eileen_ —and Alf getting adopted. "I'll have three wonderful children," mum had told them, beaming, as if she had never been more thrilled or lucky in her entire life.

"Mum?" B— _Eileen_ —asked, "Did I—I mean. Is your real name Eileen?"

Mum stopped mixing the icing and turned to look at her. "No," she said, slowly, "I used it because I had to pose as Irish, since my hair is red and I was a servant."

"Oh," said Eileen, "I see." She smoothed her hand over the counter top and was about to leave when her mum continued.

"It was Merope Ward," she said, "But I haven't thought of myself as Merope for a long time—since well before the quarantine, when you had measles, do you remember?"

Eileen did remember: mum was sat with her and she was the only one nice to her and Alf, even when they were horrible, with that awful snake and painting the cows and telling on her for talking to soldiers at the train station. "Yeah," she said, "I remember."

"I chose Eileen, just like you did," mum said, coming closer and giving her a hug, "It's like we chose it together."

And as Eileen looked at her mum's face she could tell her mum did believe that, that she couldn't be happier that they had chosen the same name. But all Eileen could think of in that moment was that her mother had chosen this, had chosen _them_. She had chosen them over going home, over her own parents—god, who were they, mum never talked about them—over her friends and her career and her _name_. She had sacrificed everything for them and for a moment Eileen was ashamed that she had been so angry at mum on VE Day because she deserved to go home and go back to her life, deserved not to be tied down here by Eileen and Alf.

But then Alf came running through the house shouting about something and mum set her to work frosting the cake while she dealt with her ruffian son and all Eileen could think was: at least when Colin comes he can take mum home, because she deserves to go home. But when she worked up the courage to tell her mum the thought several days later all she got was a laugh, "Oh," her mum said, "But I already _am_ home, don't you see?"

And while Eileen was never one for crying, she burst into tears while her mother held her and stroked her hair.


End file.
